Writing in MLA Style

A guide to in-text and reference
citation methods

Formatting Basics
 One-inch margins on all sides.
 Easily readable typeface
(Times New Roman is required
for this course).
 No title page – heading & title
appear on first page. Title
appears in plain text.
 Page numbers in right-hand
corner, ½” from the top, flush
right.
 Last name of author appears
one space before page number.
 No extra spaces between
paragraphs.
 One space after periods or
other concluding punctuation.

 Put quotes longer than four lines of prose or
three lines of verse in “block quote” form.
 Start on a new line
 1” (ten spaces) from left margin
 NOT in quotation marks
 Double-spaced
Citation goes here

 Always acknowledge (use direct quotations with):
 A direct quotation
 A statistic
 An idea
 Someone else’s opinion
 Concrete facts not considered “common knowledge”
 Information not commonly known
 Information taken from the computer (CDs, the Internet,
etc.)
 Illustrations, photographs, or charts that aren’t yours
Source:
Silverman, Jay, Elaine Hughes, and Diana Roberts Weinbroer. Rules of Thumb: A Guide for Writers. New York: McGraw Hill, 2002.

 Paraphrasing
 Putting someone else’s idea in your own words
 Summarizing
 Condensing someone else’s words or ideas
 Quoting
 Using someone else’s words directly

GENERAL RULES
 Ideally, no more than 25 percent of your paper
should be direct quotations.
 Paraphrase as much as you can.
 Use direct quotations when citing a statistic or
original theory.
 Use author's words if they capture a point
exactly.
 When in doubt, cite!

Don’t leave your poor quotes alone at the party. Introduce them!
 Model Signal Phrases:
“In the words of researchers
Long and McKinzie…”
“As Paul Rudnick has noted…”
“Melinda Stuart, mother of a
child killed by a drunk
driver, points out…”
“…,writes Michelle Moore, …”
Note: Never use “says.”
 Verbs in Signal Phrases:
acknowledges admits
agrees asserts
believes claims
comments confirms
contends declares
denies disputes
emphasizes endorses
grants illustrates
implies notes
observes points out
reasons refutes
suggests writes

A method in which you give your source in parentheses immediately
after giving your information.
Four common citations:
 Author and page number
 Title and page number
 Page number only
 Secondhand quotations
The first word of your citation must match the corresponding
entry on your Works Cited page!

 Place the reference where a pause would naturally occur –
preferably, at the end of a sentence or clause, and as near as
possible to the material being cited.
 If using the same source multiple times in the same paragraph,
you may place the citation after the last usage. (The citation must
be in the same paragraph as the material!)
 Example: Romeo and Juliet presents an opposition between two
worlds: “the world of the everyday…and the world of romance.”
Although the two lovers are part of the world of romance, their
language of love nevertheless becomes “fully responsible to the tang
of actuality” (Zender 138, 141).
 OR
According to Karl F. Zender, Romeo and Juliet presents an opposition
between two worlds: “the world of the everyday, associated with the
adults in the play, and “the world of romance,” associated with the
two lovers (138). Romeo and Juliet’s language of love nevertheless
becomes “fully responsive to the tang of actuality” (141).
Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th.
New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2009.

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty” (Keats 110).
Space
Author’s last name
Page number (no “p”)
Punctuation after parentheses

Often, articles, editorials, pamphlets, and other
materials have no author listed; give the first
distinctive word of the title followed by the
page number.
Example
Her distinctive writing style adds to her mystique
(“Plath” 19).

If you have already mentioned the author’s name,
put a page number only:
Example
Keeling states that Plath’s work stands in stark
contrast to other confessional poets (58).

When you quote someone who has been
quoted in one of your sources, use:
qtd. in (stands for “quoted in”)
Example
Evelyn Maxwell, author of numerous books about
poetry, refers to Plath as the “queen of
darkness” (qtd. in Keeling 99).

 List only sources that you actually used.
 List the complete title of the article, essay, or book.
 Alphabetize your list by authors’ last names or the first main
word in a title.
 Online sources no longer require URLs, unless the title of
the website does not easily lead the reader to find the
source. That said, for this class you should include them
unless they are too long.
 Publication medium (print or electronic) is required.
 Format:
 Author’s last name first
 Double-spaced
 Title italicized – no more underlining!
 Left-aligned margin
 Indent second and third lines five spaces
 Most items separated by periods – leave one space after ending
punctuation.
 Place a period at the end of each entry.

Single Author
Last name, first name. Title of Book. Publication City: Publisher, year.
Print.
 For a book with a corporate author, substitute the name of the
institution for the author name.
Two or More Works by the Same Author
(First entry)
---, Title of Book. Publication City: Publisher, year. Print.
Cross-references
Last name, first name. “Title.” Last names of anthology authors page
numbers.
Anthology authors, eds. Title of Anthology. Publication City: Publisher,
year. Print.
Example
Agee, James. “Knoxville: Summer of 1915.” Oates and Atwan 171-75.
Oates, Joyce Carol, and Robert Atwan, eds. The Best American Essays of the Century.
Boston: Houghton, 2000. Print.

Book by Two or More Authors
Last name, First name, and First name Last Name. Title of Book. Publication
City: Publisher, year. Print.
 Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of
Research. 2nd ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003. Print.
A Work in an Anthology
Last name, First name. “Section Title.” Book Title. Ed. Editor’s Name.
Publication City: Publisher, year. Pages. Print.
 Bordo, Susan. “The Moral Content of Nobokov’s Lolita.” Aesthetic Subjects. Ed.
Pamela R. Matthews and David McWhirter. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 2003.
125-52. Print.
An Article in a Reference Book
“Article Name.” Reference Book Title. Edition. Year. Print.
 “Azimuthal Equidistant Projection.” Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11th
ed. 2003. Print.
 For more variations, see MLA Handbook p. 160-61.

A Translation
Author name. Title. Trans. Translator name. Publication City: Publisher. Year.
Print.
 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Viking, 1996. Print.
An Illustrated/Graphic Book.
Author name. Book Title. Introd. Introducer’s name. Illus. Illustrator’s name.
Publication City: Publisher. Year. Print.
 Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Introd. Regina Barreca. Illus. W.W.
Denslow. New York: Signet-Penguin, 2006. Print.
 If referring mostly to the illustrator’s work, begin the entry with the illustrator’s name, followed by illus.
and By, Author’s Name, after the title.
Book Published in a Second or Subsequent Edition
Baker, Nancy L., and Nancy Huling. A Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: English
and American Literature. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2006. Print.

Multivolume Work
Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. 2 vols. New York: Pantheon-
Random. 1986-91. Print.
 If you use only one volume of the work, state the number of the volume (“Vol. 2”) and give publication
information for that volume alone, plus page numbers when you refer to that work in the text.
Book in a series
Anderson, Danny, and Jill S. Kuhnheim, eds. Cultural Studies in the
Curriculum: Teaching Latin America. New York: MLA, 2003. Print. Teaching
Langs., Lits., and Cultures.
Original date
of publication
Publisher’s Imprint
goes here
Morrison, Toni. Sula. 1973. New York: Vintage-Random, 2004. Print.
Book Without Stated Publication Information or Pagination
No place of publication: n.p.
No pagination given: n. pag.
No publisher given: n.p.
No date of publication given: n.d.

Article in a Scholarly Journal: Basic
Author’s name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title volume #.issue# (year):
pages. Print.
Piper, Andrew. “Rethinking the Print Object: Goethe and the Book of Everything.”
PMLA 121.1(2006): 124-38. Print.
 For an article from a journal that uses only issue numbers, omit the volume
number.
Article in a Scholarly Journal With More Than One Series
Author’s name. “Title of the Article.” Journal Title # ser. volume #.issue#
(year): pages. Print.
Striner, Richard. “Political Newtonism: The Cosmic Model of Politics in Europe and
America.” William and Mary Quarterly 3rd ser. 52.4 (1995): 583-608. Print.
 For an article divided into a new series and an original series, use ns or os before
the volume number.
Helming, Steven. “A Martyr to Happiness: Why Adorno Matters.” Kenyon Review ns 28.4 (2006): 156-
72. Print.

Basic Newspaper
Last name, first name. “Article Title.” Newspaper Title dd/month/yyyy,
edition: page#. Print.
 Jeromack, Paul. “This Once, a David of the Art World Does Goliath a Favor.” New
York Times 13 July 2002, late ed. B7+. Print.
• For more examples and variations, see the MLA Handbook p. 142.
An Article in a Magazine
Last name, first name. “Article Title.” Magazine Title dd/month/yyyy: page
numbers. Print.
 McEvoy, Dermot. “Little Books, Big Success.” Publishers Weekly 30 Oct. 2006: 26-28.
Print.
See the MLA Handbook p. 143-148 for more variations.

Brochure, Pamphlet, or Press Release
 Treat a brochure or a pamphlet as you would a book.
 Washington, DC. New York: Trip Builder, 2000. Print.
 Document a press release the same way, but cite the day/month/year of
release.
 Modern Language Association. Modern Language Association Announces New and Improved
MLA Language Map. New York: MLA, 18 Apr. 2006. Print.
Government Publication
 In general, if you do not know the author of the document, cite the government
agency that issued it.
 Missouri Dept. of Industrial Relations Division of Labor Standards. Minimum Wage Law.
Jefferson City, MO: Missouri Dept. of Industrial Relations, 2006. Print.
 When citing Congressional Records (abbreviated Cong. Rec.) give only date, page
#s, and medium of publication.
 Cong. Rec. 7 Feb. 1973: 3831-51. Print.
For more variations, see the MLA Handbook 7th edition, p. 175-180.

Work Cited Only on the Web
**Only include the URL if the citation information would not lead a reader to easily find the
source.**
Last name, first name. Title or “Title.” Title of overall web site (if
different than title of document). Version/edition (if any).
Publisher/sponsor/”n.p.”, Date of publication/n.d. Web. Date of
access.
 Committee on Scholarly Editions. “Guidelines for Editors of Scholarly Editions.”
Modern Language Association. MLA, 25 Sept. 2007. Web. 15 May 2008.
Work on the Web That Also Appears in Print
 Usually, you will use this kind of entry for scanned-in books.
 Author. Title of Publication. Publication Information. Title of Hosting Site. Web. Date of access.
Cascardi, Anthony J. Ideologies of History in the Spanish Golden Age. University
Park: Pennsylvania UP, 1997. Penn State Romance Studies. Web. 12 Mar.
2007.

Non-Print Web Sources
 For example, an image, digitalized version of a film, etc.
 Do NOT include the original media type. Instead, use the medium of
publication consulted (“Web”).
 Artist/Producter/Director. Date. Host/Location. Website Title. Web. Date of
access.
Currin, John. Blond Angel. 2001. Indianapolis Museum of Art. IMA: It’s My
Art. Web. 9 May 2007.
Lange, Dorothea. The Migrant Mother. 1936. Prints and Photographs Div., Lib.
of Cong. Dorothea Lange: Photographer of the People. Web. 9 May 2007.
“Protest on Behalf of Southern Women.” 1932. Mary Cornelia Baker Papers.
Robert W. Woodruff Lib., Emory U. Online Manuscript Resources in
Southern Women’s History. Web. 5 June 2008.

 Exactly like a scholarly journal entry, but adding:
 Medium of publication (Web)
 Date of access
Schmidt-Nieto, Jorge R. “The Political Side of Bilingual Education:
The Undesirable Becomes Useful.” Arachne@Rutgers 2.2 (2002): n.
pag. Web. 5 June 2008.
Volume # Issue #

Film or Video Recording
Title, Director. Distributor. Year of release. Medium consulted.
 May also include other pertinent information, e.g., performers,
screenwriter, producer.
 It’s a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel
Barrymore, and Thomas Mitchell. RKO. 1946. Film.
 If citing the contribution of a particular individual, begin with that
person’s name.
 Chaplin, Charles, dir. Modern Times. Perf. Chaplin and Paulette Goddard. United Artists,
1936. Film.
Work of Visual Art
Artist. Title of Work. Date. Medium of art. Collection/Location, City.
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn. Aristotle with a Bust of Homer. 1653. Oil on canvas.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Interview
Include:
 Name of person being interviewed
 Title of interview (if none, use“Interview”)
 Interviewer’s name (if pertinent)
 Appropriate bibliographic info & medium of publication
 Breslin, Jimmy. Interview by Neal Conan. Talk of the Nation. Natl. Public Radio. WBUR,
Boston. 26 Mar 2002. Radio.
 Blanchett, Cate. “In Character with: Cate Blanchett.” Notes on a Scandal. Dr. Richard Eyre.
Fox Searchlight, 2006. DVD.
Lecture, Speech, Address, or Reading
Speaker’s name. “Title of Presentation.” Meeting/sponsoring organization,
Location. Date. Form of delivery.
 Alter, Robert, and Marilynne Robinson. “The Psalms: A Reading and Conversation.”
92nd Street Y, New York. 17 Dec. 2007. Reading.
 Matouzzi, Robert. “Archive Trauma.” Archive Trouble. MLA Annual Convention. Hyatt
Regency, Chicago. 29 Dec. 2007. Address.
New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2009

Writing in MLA Style

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Writing in MLA Style

Similar to Writing in MLA Style (20)

More from Brooksie Lane

More from Brooksie Lane (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Writing in MLA Style